Dust Lands by Moira Young

Synopsis: Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Rating:  3 out of 5

Honestly, the only reason that I read this book was because it was chosen to be read for our school book club. Any other day, I don't think that I would have picked it up off the shelves. But, I was a trooper and finished it anyway.

I'm not going to lie, the book was good. But, there were some things that really bothered me. Like the way they spoke. I understand not having perfect grammar, but I tried and tried to get used to the way they spoke, and still, at the end of the book, I hadn't gotten used to it. For me, that kinda took away from the book. And Saba. Her character REALLY annoyed me. I was hoping it would be something that I would get over, but I just didn't. She was soooo clingy to her brother. Overly clingy. I mean, I get it. If one of my siblings was taken away by some weird people I didn't know, I'd run after him too. I'd care. I'd be worried. But the way all she thought about was Lugh, how she totally pushed her little sister aside. She needed help too. She was suffering too. Saba just really really bothered me throughout the whole book. 

But, besides that, and a few other things, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was great. When I first started off, I was kinda concerned. This girl traveling days and days to try and find her brother. How was the author going to keep it interesting? But, she did it. Between cage fighting, and crazy worms, she made it work! 

Oh, and the relationship between Saba and Jack. It was adorable! Kinda child like. Like 12 year olds, they didn't really act their age, but it was cute! 

I think I'd have to say that my favorite character was Nero. Yes, the crow. He watched over all of them all the time. He was always there whenever they needed anything. To get a message sent, to be all lovey. He was just there, and I liked that about him. :)

When it comes down to it, this book definitely wasn't a 5 star book, and with all the things that really bugged me, I couldn't give it a 4. I'm also curious. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a trilogy. I'm not sure what more she can do in two more books. I think I'd be up to reading them just to see what she does, how she can make it interesting.

In the end, it wasn't the plot that got me, that was GREAT. It was the characters. They really bugged me, and I couldn't really connect with any of them. When I'm reading a book, connecting with characters is a big thing for me, and this book lacked in that department.

But, if you like fighting, and cute couples, and fighter chicks, you might like this book!

Jordan